Luanda, Oct. 21, 2025 (Lusa) - The Angolan authorities announced the arrest of 19 people, including employees and former employees of Banco Angolano de Investimentos (BAI), suspected of involvement in an embezzlement of five billion kwanzas (€4.7 million).

According to a statement from the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC), the criminal network, which includes five current and former bank employees and a Gambian citizen, was dismantled after a complaint lodged by BAI in May was investigated.

The 19 detainees are charged with the offences of criminal association, forgery of documents, illegitimate access to information systems, hacking into computer systems and money laundering, with strong evidence of their involvement in the embezzlement of more than five billion kwanzas from a business account.

The alleged fraud took place at the Waku Kungo branch in Kwanza Sul province. Employees and the assistant manager entered and altered customer data, allowing "large sums of money" to be transferred to third parties, initially to their own accounts and later to other financial institutions.

SIC says the steps taken in the case resulted in the blocking of more than a thousand bank accounts in various banks, to which the money was transferred.

With this money, the defendants bought cars, houses and land all over Portugal, some of which have already been identified and seized.

The detainees were brought before the Public Prosecutor's Office and 14 defendants were remanded in custody, while the remaining five were released on an identity and residence licence.

The statement said that the SIC continues endeavouring to arrest others involved.

RCR/ADB // ADB.

Lusa